Behavior Test and Instruments

Gross neurological exam (Irwin screen): The screen involves assessment of physical appearance, sensory and motor responses, and spontaneous behavior in a novel environment. Reflexes such as righting, touch escape, trunk curl, reaching, are also assessed.

Somatosensory. Touch Test sensory evaluator kit is available as a test of somatosensory perception. Shock threshold analysis is performed automatically when using other behavioral tests involving administration of electric shock.

Motor coordination. Available tests include rotarod, pole climb, grip strength meter, and inverted screen, which assess balance, coordination, and grip strength.

Med Associates 5-lane rotarod; with computer workstation and analysis software.
SDI animal grip strength. Includes gauge and testing stand with adjustable mesh grip.

Startle/sensorimotor gating. Acoustic startle response (ASR), prepulse inhibition, habituation, and fear-potentiated startle are available. Sensorimotor gating is impaired in many neurological disorders, including autism and schizophrenia.

SDI SR-Lab Startle Response System; 4-chamber startle system, including PC and analysis software, and components to provide tones, lights, air puffs, background noise and foot shock.

Locomotor activity. Exploratory locomotor activity is measured in open field. Infrared beams and detectors automatically record horizontal activity, and rearing in the open field. Habituation and sensitization of locomotor activity, repetitive movements, and other behaviors are also measured. In addition, the task provides measures of anxiety in response to a novel environment.

Med Associates activity monitors; 8 chambers each in normal and reverse light cycle rooms with computer workstation and analysis software.
Med Associates activity monitors; 4 chambers equipped for tethers. Open field activity and in vivo microdialysis in awake, freely-moving mice can be performed concurrently (not available for open field alone). Core performs intracranial cannulae implantation and microdialysis sample collection during behavior.

Anxiety/Fear. The light/dark exploration, elevated plus maze and marble burying tests of anxiety are available. Fear conditioning measures a state of fear/anxiety in response to threatening stimuli. In addition, measures of anxiety can be derived from the open field test, as described above.

Med Associates activity monitors with light/dark inserts; 8 testing chambers each in normal and reverse light cycle rooms.
Elevated plus maze. There is a ceiling-mounted video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.
Med Associates video fear conditioning. 4 chambers connected to computer with analysis software, all located in an acoustic sound booth.

Depression-related behaviors. The Porsolt forced swim test and tail suspension test are available. These tests have predictive validity for drugs with antidepressant efficacy.

Med Associates tail suspension, 4 units with computer workstation and analysis software.
Forced swim test. There is a video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.

Cognition. Tests of learning and memory include Morris water maze, fear conditioning, object recognition, and Y-maze. Reward-based learning, such as 5-choice serial reaction time task, Go/No go task, and progressive and fixed ratio reward schedule tasks can be assessed in nose-poke and touchscreen operant chambers. These tests also provide measures of impulsivity and motor response inhibition. Additional tests may be designed.

Med Associates operant chambers (6 chambers). These are nose-poke chambers with reward dispensers for use in a number of operant, rewarded tasks, Coupled with computer workstation and analysis software.
Lafayette touchscreen operant chambers (12 chambers). Touchscreen operant chambers with reward dispensers can be used for a number of reward-based operant conditioning tests, including 5-choice serial reaction time task and go/no-go task. Coupled with computer workstation and analysis software.
Morris water maze. Test spatial learning and memory. There is a ceiling-mounted video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.
Med Associates video fear conditioning, 4 chambers connected to computer with analysis software, all located in an acoustic sound booth.
Object recognition. Four high-walled square open field arenas are available for these tasks; two arenas used simultaneously. There is a ceiling-mounted video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.
Morris water maze. There is a ceiling-mounted video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.
Y-maze. There is a ceiling-mounted video camera for video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software on a designated computer workstation.

Social behavior. Three-chamber social interaction test, and the tube test for social dominance are available. An incubator for maternal separation is available.

Incubator. Thermostat controlled and includes temperature chart recorder. Available for maternal separation studies.
Three-chamber social interaction. Two chambers are available for use with video recording and tracking/analysis with Noldus Ethovision software.
Tube test. Four tube test apparatuses are available, two with modification for use with concurrent optogenetics.

Drug abuse/Reward. Conditioned place preference is available to assess the reinforcing properties of drugs. Operant drug discrimination tests and the assessment of drug effects on schedule-controlled behavior are available.

Med Associates activity monitors with conditioned place preference inserts; 8 testing chambers each in normal and reverse light cycle rooms with computer workstation and analysis software.
Med Associates operant chambers (6 chambers). These are nose-poke chambers with reward dispensers for use in a number of operant, rewarded tasks, Coupled with computer workstation and analysis software.
Lafayette Touchscreen operant chambers (12 chambers). Touchscreen operant chambers with reward dispensers can be used for a number of reward-based operant conditioning tests, including 5-choice serial reaction time task and go/no-go task. Coupled with computer workstation and analysis software.

Neurochemistry and Behavior Resources

In vivo microdialysis: The Core is equipped with 4 Med Associates activity monitors equipped with counter-balanced lever arms with tethers for concurrent open field activity and in vivo microdialysis in awake, freely-moving mice and 3 clear animal containers with counter-balanced lever arms with tethers for in vivo microdialysis in awake, freely-moving mice. Samples are collected with an inline programmable Eicom Microdialysis Fraction Collector (FC-90) for up to 4 mice at once with a refrigerated chamber using 96 well plates.

High-performance liquid chromatography: The Core provides service to Eicom HTEC-510 HPLC-ECD System includes Pulse-less HPLC pump and electrochemical detector in line with AS-700 Eicom INSIGHT Autosampler, 2 x 96 well plate capacity for microdialysis and tissue monoamine and amino acid quantification controlled by a Windows PC with Envision Data System (EPC-700) software.

In vivo fiber photometry: The Core is equipped with a Tucker-Davis Technologies (TDT) Lux Fiber Photometry RZ5P: 1159 system for fiber photometry measurement of neurotransmitter release during behavioral testing. Core provides training in use of equipment and data analysis.

Additional resource description:

The Core is equipped with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Fiber Photometry Training available upon request.

Microdialysis. Training available upon request.

Reverse light cycle housing and testing. A colony room in the vivarium (Comparative Medicine housing) is permanently set on a reverse light cycle and is contiguous with a procedure room equipped with a hood for tagging and tailing and Behavior Core testing rooms for multiple behaviors, including open field monitoring, light/dark test, conditioned place preference and touchscreen and nose-poke operant behavior.

Procedure rooms. There is an additional procedure room, containing stainless steel procedure benches, animal weighing scales, two syringe pumps, approximately 15 Hamilton Syringes.

Surgical suite. Room overseen by FAU Comparative Medicine equipped for isoflurane anesthesia and stereotaxic surgery for intracranial cannulae implantation.